Melt half the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until soft. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs, cranberries, parsley, rosemary, and remaining butter. Cook, stirring, until the butter melts. Season with pepper.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 180°C. Remove excess fat, giblets and neck from the turkey cavity. Wipe inside and out with paper towel. Loosely fill the cavity with the breadcrumb mixture. Use unwaxed white kitchen string to tie the legs together ( see tips 1 and 2). Tuck the wings under. Transfer to a roasting pan. Drizzle over half the extra butter. Cover the turkey with non-stick baking paper, then cover the pan with foil. Roast for 1 hour. Brush with half the remaining butter (see tip 3). Roast, covered, for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Place the marmalade and brandy in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the marmalade melts. Remove the foil and paper from the turkey. Use a pastry brush to brush the marmalade mixture over the turkey. Arrange the orange over and around the turkey (see tip 4). Pour over half the wine. Cover turkey with the paper and cover the pan with the foil. Roast for 1 hour.

Step 4

Remove and discard foil and paper. Pour remaining butter over the turkey. Roast for a further 30-40 minutes or until golden and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer(see tip 5). Transfer the turkey and orange to a serving platter. Cover with foil. Set aside for 20 minutes to rest.

Step 5

Meanwhile, pour the excess liquid from the roasting pan into a jug. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the mixture bubbles. Remove from heat. Use a balloon whisk to gradually whisk in remaining wine (see tip 6). Place over medium-high heat and cook, scraping the pan with a flat-edged wooden spoon to dislodge any bits that have cooked onto the base. Add the stock, reserved liquid and any juices from the resting turkey. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the gravy thickens. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Step 6

Transfer the gravy to a serving jug and serve with the turkey.

Tip 1: For best results, loosely fill the turkey cavity with the stuffing, as the stuffing expands during cooking. Tip 2: So the stuffing stays inside and the turkey keeps its shape, you need to tie the legs together - this is called "trussing". Tip 3: To keep the turkey moist and stop it from drying out during the long cooking time, you need to brush or "baste" it with butter. Tip 4: For perfect presentation and to add extra flavour to the gravy, arrange orange over and around the turkey in the pan. Tip 5: To test if the turkey is cooked, use a skewer to pierce the thickest part of the thigh - if the juices run clear, it's ready. Tip 6: To avoid lumpy gravy, add the wine off the heat - otherwise it won't have time to incorporate before the flour mixture thickens. More turkey tips If your turkey is frozen, thaw it in the fridge, not on the kitchen bench. As a guide, a large turkey, such as this one, can take 3-4 days to thaw. If frozen cranberries are unavailable, use frozen cherries, halved. Meal made easy: Cooking a large turkey can often mean there's no room left in the oven for the vegetables. To make it easier, cook the vegetables first, and then cook the turkey. While the turkey is resting, return the vegetables to the oven to reheat. What to do with the leftovers: To store leftover turkey, let it cool, then remove the meat from the carcass. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Take stock: Save the bones and use them to make stock. Place in a sealable plastic bag. Label, date and freeze for up to 1 month. Swap it: If you like a stuffing to have a crunchy texture, replace the cranberries with 1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios. Make it ahead: Prepare this recipe to the end of step 1 up to 2 days ahead. Store the stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge. Continue from step 2, 4 hours before serving.

Ratings & Comments

Ratings & Comments

I cook this recipe along with maple syrup glazed leg of ham for Christmas each year. It works a treat. I've made a couple of tweaks, instead of prosciutto i use bacon (hubby loves bacon) also I'm not a big fan of turkey instead i use a whole chicken. It works and taste fantastic. I have also cooked this without the marmalade glaze and it is great. The stuffing its a meal on its own and makes up a lot of the flavour.

4.5helvetica added this comment at
11:40am Thu 3rd September, 2009

i made this for a Chrissy in July weekend and it was my 1st time making it but there was a step-by-step in the Good taste magazine where I first saw the recipe and it was just so helpful! it looked great and was so tasty, especially the stuffing. My family was very impressed!